notsosure

While I have you guys, any recommendations for Rogaine use once it's time? So, normally I would wet my hair, then use a towel to dry and spike the hair straight up. Then I'd get some gel in my hand and spike down/style my hair a bit. Then I'd blow dry with one of those diffusers. The main reason was just to give my hair some volume since it was so thin and receding. It worked fairly well. Now that I'll hopefully have decent hair with a good hairline, I'd like to start using rogaine, but is there some sort of smart process for using it maybe as styling gel for the spiking/somewhat messy look? Maybe that's not possible or sounds ridiculous. I'm a noob when it comes to rogaine, but I'd like to do what I can to avoid another HT anytime soon. Thanks.

17 minutes ago, BDK081522 said:

In an earlier post you mentioned putting polysporin on the recipient area. Hopefully you meant on the donor area. The ointment would be very difficult to clean off the recipient area at this point without scrubbing. Only put the on the donor. As for itching, just spray saline on the recipient to alleviate. The itching is terrible but this will give some very short term relief. 

Nailed it. You're right. I meant on the donor area. Tomorrow I'll ask the doc to fill my spray bottle with saline solution. Thanks for the tip and the correction.

and now the itching begins. lol...

any tips for how to deal with itching 2 days out from an HT? Obviously I can't just scratch the recipient area, but I'd like to just take sand paper to my head right now.

5 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Johnson’s baby shampoo 🧴 

Check.

Also, for those that get FUE and are nervous about sleep afterwards... I posted my Oura ring (it tracks sleep) results above on night 1 and thought the deep sleep hours were a result of the valium, but my night 2 scores were almost exactly the same (with no valium in my system). I'm chalking it up to sleeping on my back, which I never ever normally do. If I get 2+ hours of deep sleep tonight then I think I might make the "back sleeping" a new habit once this whole HT stuff is over 🙂

Another question for you all. Today I noticed that it feels like I have water dripping down my head (even though there is no actual water). I guess it's under my scalp. Just started happening earlier today. Is this a normal sensation?

And secondly, I've noticed more swelling over the course of the 3 days. Started high and is moving downward towards middle bottom of forhead and temples. From what I've read, this is 100% normal. But my question is, other than icing (which they suggested I not do yet, so I wouldn't accidentally bump the inserted grafts) is there anything else I can do for the swelling? Drink more water, take ibuprofen?

10 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Use baby shampoo not dial soap. They should wash your head today and remove the markings. 

Weird. Ok. Dr. Konior mentioned liquid dial soap. But maybe he just mentioned to use that PRE surgery? Is there a specific baby shampoo I should get? I can pick that up today. And do you have any guesses on what those extra markings are?

Thanks for the video. Ok, so here's my thought. I'm here at the hotel until Saturday. I think tonight I'll take a "body shower". Nothing on my head. Just so I don't feel as nasty tomorrow. I'm assuming the doc's assistants will clean my head (recipient and donor areas) today. When I get home on Saturday, I'll do body showers for the next 7 days and then will follow it up with mixing dial liquid soap and luke warm water into a big cup and pour it over my head. And then take regular luke warm water and do it a few more times again, just to rinse out any residual soap. I'm scared to death to actually tough/pat the recipient area, so I'll probably just let the water run over it. Later in the week (Those 7 days) I may wash the back of my head with my hand and soap in the shower like normal. Just gently, and will try really hard to not get anything on the front recipient area.

Is there some good method for putting the neosporin onto the recipient area? Sounds like I have to dab/rub it on and that's scary 🙂

I bought something called Polysporin, which is what Dr Konior recommended, so I'll use that.

More tips are welcome at any time. Thanks so much.

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Wow do you mind taking close-up pictures of the graft placement? The refinement looks absolutely stunning. Dr. Konior is such a nice guy, few surgeons would give rides. 

Hey, here’s as close as I could get. (I'm still waiting to drop my phone on my head one of these times) My poor shiny head definitely looks like I haven’t showered since Tuesday at 5am. Lol... which is 100% true. Also, I don’t have a clue how things are supposed to look 2.5 days post surgery. Hopefully things are looking ok? I think you can still sort of see his marker along the hairline area, behind the grafts. And I really have no idea what those other marker lines are. Any idea what that stuff is? Clearly he was marking something. Thoughts from someone that knows something would be much appreciated

13 minutes ago, AlBrown said:

I followed the guidelines and looked down while pouring a large cup of water over my crown allowing the water to run down over the recipient area. This rinsed the shampoo out.

The other method I used was spraying saline over the area and letting it drip down into the sink.

I was buzzed down like yoursel so no blow drying needed yet.  Congratulations by the way for having a "normal" enough shaped noggin to pull that look off.  It was my first buzz cut as well and didn't know what to expect so I was pleased with the positive feedback.  Doubt it comes to that for either of us but I felt better about my follicular worse-case scenario from the experience.

Thanks a lot. So far since the procedure on Tuesday morning I've taken a whopping 0 showers. lol... I guess that means I have 3 layers of deodorant on at the moment. Gross. But I'm not taking any chances and would rather be gross than knock out a graft. I go back for another cleaning today at noon. It's raining today so I'll have to figure out if the hotel can loan me an umbrella OR if I can somehow manage to put something over my head while I walk to the car... or better yet, it could stop raining sometime in the next 2 hours. Funny about the blow drying. I guess you're right... none needed. I have never had anything even close to a shaved head before, so I guess the scalp dries as fast as the skin. Hilarious. As for the shape of my head, I sent a picture or 2 to my wife and she seems to think I look good bald, but truth be told, I'm still thinking it's the magic of the iPhone angles or something. The full story will come out when I drive home on Saturday and she sees my tiny little bald head in person. But meh... I just want to fast forward the next 4 months without doing anything stupid, which I tend to do. haha.

One other question for you, if you don't mind. When did you start noticing the "shock" loss stuff that everyone else seems to mention? Like month 2 or so? I'm wondering if by month 3 I'll have somewhat of my regular looking hair style back (just no new hair yet) or if I'll look absolutely ridiculous at that stage. I'm honestly not one that wears hats ever, and although I did buy a few hats, I'd rather not mess with yet another thing.

I'm kind of thinking to just keep shaving my head at like a 1 guard until the new hair starts growing in, so that everything stays fairly even. Just a thought from someone who has no idea what he's doing (i.e. me). Thanks man.

8 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Drink lots of water 💦 Sleep on your back... and ok if your going to use a ice pack (short periods) be very, very careful. The risk of accidentally hitting the grafts is high. I have always had swelling after my hts but it does usually subside within a few days... week at most. 
I agree with the clinic, don’t use ice packs is the best advice really. 

SUPER helpful. Thanks a lot. Water it is then. I'll also sleep on my back with 2 pillows and also 1 small one wrapped around my neck like an airplane pillow so I don't turn my head one way or the other.

2 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Yes be careful ! Swelling is perfectly normal after a ht. it’s possible to end up with black eyes also. 

Ok, so you'd recommend no icing and don't worry about the swelling? Nothing hurts (yet). I'm mainly just bored to death sitting here in the hotel room, afraid to bump my head on something. I haven't showered since prior to the surgery on Tuesday morning and am actually thinking about skipping a shower today as well. Figured I can't smell that bad doing absolutely nothing.

Ok, I noticed some swelling in forehead and templates area. Nothing crazy (yet) but is this pretty normal? When I went in today at 1pm for a cleaning (it's 8pm now) they said there was no need to ice it, so I haven't. Being that I'm in a hotel, it's not exactly easy to get an ice pack. Plus I'm thinking I'm better off having some swelling than to accidentally ice too high on the grafts. What do you seasoned peeps think?

18 minutes ago, Westview said:

I took  a bath  for the first 10 days.

No way was I gonna let a stream of water near my grafts

That's a great idea. And if I was home, I might do that... but no way am I taking a bath in a Hilton hotel. Hard telling what's going on in there. lol...

2 hours ago, AlBrown said:

I had shower apprehension mainly with shampooing.  My fear was disrupting the grafts before they had a chance to set in. 

The methods outlined in the guides weren't effective for me and I really wanted to keep the area clean.  His staff suggested I mix water and shampoo in a spray bottle which worked really great.

That's very helpful. Thanks. If you mixed water and soap, how did you get the soap out of your hair/head? Did you replace the soap/water mixture with only water and then spray again? And then how did you dry? Blow dryer on cool and low setting?

Ok, just got my first cleanup from the office. Apparently while sleeping last night, I knocked out 1 graft from the back right side of my head. Not really an important area at all, but that's where the blood came from. Doc told me that it was a 3 hair graft. Bummer. He said he could replace it later in the week if I cared, but that it really isn't going to make any difference to my results. I may or may not ask him to. Hoping my sleep tonight doesn't do the same thing, as I thought I slept perfectly on my back with head propped and definitely didn't touch anything, but it is what it is. All cleaned up now at least.

They said I could shower now (not on head) but I'm a little hesitant. Did anyone else here feel nervous about shower #1? 🙂

Ok, morning everyone. I was a little nervous about how sleep would go, but I had the most deep sleep (via my Oura Ring that tracks sleep) than I think I ever have. Not sure if it was the Valium during the day or laying for 12 hours during the surgery, but sleep at night went great. I did have a donor area start bleeding (unbeknownst to me) and it dripped over the new area and behind my ear. I called the office in the morning and they didn’t seem concerned. Guess they’ll clean me up today. I also barely rubbed the new area with my arm last night, forgetting I had a transplant. So hopefully that didn’t screw anything up.

Thanks guys. Well it’s 8:30pm and I’m back. Dr Konior actually dropped me off at the hotel. Shocking, but very cool! Here’s how things look right now. I think he ended up doing 2100 grafts.

I look depressed because I had 3 Valium and feel like a zombie after laying on that table for 12 hours. 😂 

I have a paper thing taped to the back of my head and so am hoping I can sleep ok. Waiting for my DoorDash Chipotle order and then trying to sleep. Will be heading back at 1:00 tomorrow for cleaning. Fingers crossed I don’t bump me head on anything or sleep weirdly.

Made it via Uber and now waiting...

Hey all. Long time lurker/reader. I think I created my account here about 10 years ago. I'm now 42 and it's finally time to take the plunge. After LOTS of research and lots of nerves, I finally scheduled FUE surgery with Dr. Konior. I've just hailed an Uber and it's 9 min away. I've never had an HT before. Never shaved my head before. And never even been to his office before. This is all very new and I'm not sure what exactly I'm getting myself into, but here we go!

I'll post updates throughout the process.

Here's to a very long day! 6:30am to 7:30pm ish...

Let's go!

Thanks fellas. T-minus 8 days... Definitely the strangest procedure I've ever done. When I say "strangest", I'm sure it's just me projecting my thoughts on this because I don't know anyone personally who's had this done... and the words "hair transplant" have always had such an embarrassing , negative connotation associated with it. Probably from movies and so on, growing up. Thanks for the support everyone. I think I'll need every bit of it.

9 hours ago, AlBrown said:

1) Great question!  I had the exact same thoughts and did not have faith valium would work since I do not fall/stay asleep easily.   That said, valium worked like a charm and the day went really fast.  I only remember sort of waking for lunch and each time they rotated me.  After everything was done, I did not feel very groggy so his office was really good with administering it.

2) Yes, stayed at the hotel and iced maybe once or twice but I had minimal swelling to be honest. I suggest keeping them on hand because its better to have and not need than need and not have. I did occasionally "rub" some of the minor swelling out per Anya's suggestion which worked well.

3) I am a city dweller so prefer walking and stayed at the Courtyard for that reason.   I walked there and planned to walk home but Dr. K kindly offered me a ride so figured why not.  
They only covered my donor area with a bandage.   Gross? haha We have all seen Dr. Konior's post-surgery photos and the scalps are anything but "bloody and gross" (I was no exception).

4) Another great question and similar concern of mine.  I left the head alone and went in each day for a clean which they almost preferred I did.  This put my concerns to rest and was happy how accommodating they were.

Great replies. Thanks for all of that! How many graphs did you end up getting again?

2 hours ago, AlBrown said:

Native Buckeye and current Chicago resident.  Similar situation as you, tapping this valuable resource for many years ultimately pulling the trigger.

I recently had a FUE operation with Dr. Konior a few weeks ago and so far the hardest part has been taking good pictures to eventually post my progress here.  

The surgery was a breeze and I am happy to answer any questions for a fresh perspective from a rookie HT recipient. Also travel back to Ohio frequently if you're in need of travel tips.

That's awesome. Thanks for posting the reply and the willingness to offer any suggestions. I'm staying at the Hilton (about a 10 minute drive). I've never even shaved my head before, so this is all quite a bit out of my comfort zone. I do actually have some questions for you, if you don't mind?

1. They're giving me a Valium prior to the surgery (which I assume is what they give to everyone). Did you fall asleep during the procedure? I'm thinking that sitting in some sort of chair for 10 hours is craziness and would make for a super long day. How was that part for you? Did it seem to go by fast, slow? Any insight into the actual day of the procedure would really help ease my mind (or maybe not. lol)

2. How often did you ice while at the hotel? Assuming you stayed at a hotel from that Tuesday-Saturday morning?

3. Did you Uber to and from the doc on the day of surgery? I'm curious how that went. I can imagine walking out of the clinic with a gross looking bloody scalp, and then stepping into someone else's car. Sounds... interesting... Does Dr. Konior cover your head with something?

4. Did you do any cleaning etc. yourself while at the hotel or did you just leave it to the Dr. during each of your follow-up appointments wed-sat?

Thanks!

1 hour ago, uklex0608 said:

You're in awesome hands, champybaby, anotherhairlosssufferer, and myself have all seen Konior in the past six months for various procedures.  So there's a lot of recent stuff to see in different stages/methods.  However we're all healing still and can't show you final results just yet--but regarding your week in Chicago, I think we all agree that it was pretty great. 

Word of warning, not all hotels have smart TVs, so pack your Roku, Apple TV, etc.  We had to make a Target run night before to buy one--as you'll spend a lot of time on it.  I stayed at Le Meridian and rented a car and thought since the other Le Meridian's I had been to had it, this one would too.

Got it. Thanks man! I have Youtube TV, so will probably just bring my tablet along with me. How was sleep for you the first couple of nights? I'm getting FUE and I'm hoping that sleeping on my back will be doable since I won't have sutures etc. on the back of my head. Curious, did you get FUE or FUT?

Hey, thanks a lot for your post. I've been browsing this forum for years and finally have gotten enough courage to get FUE surgery. I chose Dr Konior and my procedure is 2 weeks from yesterday! I'm very nervous. Now that you're a few weeks post surgery, are you happy with things? How many graphs did you end up getting? And was there anything negative or scary about the whole procedure? I live in Ohio and Dr Konior's office is a 6 hour drive, so I'll be staying in a hotel from Tuesday-Saturday, about 10 min from the office. Any advice etc you would be able to give to me would be so much appreciated, given you had the same doc that will be doing my procedure. Thank you!